SRINAGAR: Principal Secretary, Mining, Asok Kumar Parmar today chaired a meeting to review the functioning and progress of the Mining Department at Civil Secretariat here.
The meeting was attended by the Director, Geology & Mining Department, Joint Director, Geology & Mining Department and District Mineral Officers of Kashmir division.
At the outset, Director Geology and Mining briefed the Principal Secretary about the procedure adopted by the Department in e-auction of Minor Mineral Blocks and grant of Mining Leases.
The Principal Secretary discussed important issues like issuance of Environmental Clearances (ECs) and Consent to Operate (CTO) for Operationalization of remaining Minor Mineral Blocks.
While chairing the meeting, Principal Secretary said that J&K is an ecologically sensitive area and we need to be very careful regarding the mining activities.
He directed the DMOs to remain active in order check the reports of illegal mining activities coming out from various areas. He said that it is the responsibility of the DMOs to stop any illegal mining going on in their respective districts and take prompt measures in this regard. To curb the case of illegal mining during odd hours, he directed the DMOs to work in close coordination with the district administration and said they will be provided every kind of support.
The Principal Secretary further said that he will be personally visiting the mineral blocks to get a firsthand account of the various issues.
Director also informed the meeting that the department has already taken slew of measures to check illegal mining and vehicles involved in illegal transportation have been seized.

KR Desk